Trim Castle is situated on a slight bend in the River Boyne in Trim, Co. Meath where it has dominated the landscape for over 800 years. This castle has seen an extensive and colourful history but by the late seventeenth century it was falling into disrepair; with the north tower of the keep collapsing around this time. In 1822 the castle was sold and since than many of the structures within the curtain wall were torn down, with the stones repurposed.
Archaeological excavations were carried out in 1971-1974. In 1981 it became a pitch-and-putt course and in 1994 was used a set location for the film Braveheart. From 1995-1998 the Office of Public Works (OPW) carried out a multi-million euro program of excavation and conservation, under the directorship of Alan Hayden. The primary goals of the project were to preserve the keep, curtain wall, and gates and make the site publicly accessible – an ambition that was realised in 2000.
In the summers of 2016 and 2017 the IAFS partnered with Prof. Michael ‘Bodhi’ Rogers of University of Colorado, Denver to undertake 3D scanning, or digital conservation, of the standing remains of Trim Castle and its surrounding medieval landscape. In 2016 works focused on scanning the barbican gate, keep exterior, curtain wall and some surrounding medieval structures. In 2017 the keep interior and more surrounding medieval landscape, including the Yellow Steeple, were added. This data will be an important research and monitoring and conservation tool for the site. The results of this survey have been published by the IAFS in Archaeology Ireland, with the raw data made available to the Office of Public Works (OPW).
Read More
Rogers, M., Bouricius, R., Shine, D., Mandal, S. and Stull, S. 2018. Laser-Scanning Trim Castle. Archaeology Ireland, 32 (3), 34-39.
